Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 30 December 1999

Scottish Executive

Police

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the provision of police air support on a national basis and, if so, what are its conclusions.

Mr Jim Wallace: The provision of police air support is an operational matter and therefore one for Chief Constables.

Poverty

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide statistics relating to awards granted to organisations based in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow for the purposes of tackling poverty expressed on a per capita basis for each of the last five years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This information is not available.

Social Exclusion

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to consider and respond to the findings of Deprivation amongst affluence: social exclusion in the City of Aberdeen by Professor Thomas Lange of the Centre of Public Policy and Management at the Robert Gordon University.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I have received a copy of Deprivation amongst affluence: social exclusion in the City of Aberdeen . The Scottish Executive recognises the disadvantage that exists in areas of Aberdeen. The Great Northern Partnership in the city has been designated as a Social Inclusion Partnership and is receiving funding of £819,000 in the current year. In November 1999 the Executive published our targets and milestones for tackling poverty in Scotland, and in spring 2000 we will publish our Action Plan setting out how we intend to deliver these milestones.

Special Advisers

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what practice has been followed in both the Justice Department and the Lord Advocate’s Office regarding the copying of departmental correspondence to any of the Special Advisers; to which Special Advisers such correspondence has been copied, and whether those arrangements have been altered in any way within the last thirty days.

Donald Dewar: All departmental papers of policy or presentational significance are routinely copied to Special Advisers. There has been no change to those arrangements in the last 30 days.